SLE Sports

Second Life allows you to do lots of stuff that would get you killed in real life. Very few people are more aware of this than a wandering sprotswriter who, for her weekly stipend, takes part in several sports in which she has no experience whatsoever.

Still, the law of physics limits how badly I can hurt myself. Force equals Mass times Acceleration, and I can only get my 100 pounds of Mass to Accelerate so fast, thus limiting the Force with which I crash into, say, a ski lodge.

All that went out the window when I discovered Stock Car racing. Now, I can strap myself into a 3200 pound beast of a car and haul ass at a speed that should only be acceptable when fleeing from Godzilla.

I arrived at the Kokopelli Race Track  at the wrong time to see a race, but I did manage to catch several of the racers doing practice laps. Not knowing how to legally stop speeding cars, I did what every reporter doesn't do in that situation.. I took off my skirt, walked out onto the track, put a great deal of faith into Southern Chivalry, and hoped that nature would take her course.

A seasoned driver (Clint Dharnen, in this case) takes three laps to stop in this situation. The first lap is spent noticing that someone is on the track, the second lap goes to realizing that the someone is a rather pretty She who is hiking up her skirt, and the final one is only necessary if you want to stop the car right in front of her after a really cool fishtail skid/stop that actually did impress me somewhat.

After a few racer types gathered around the half-nude reporter, I managed to gather the following Cool Facts about stock car racing on SL:

- The track/league is owned by Greg Drayman, and he's hands-on enough to be there when the drivers practice. He was also quite forthcoming with information, and is the one to speak to if you want your SL company logo on a car hood.

- Races are about 30 miles, to let everybody there get some laps in.

- Many of the drivers are from the northeast USA. I saw two women driving with the men, and the men spoke of their skills with reverence. There seems to be a driver named Zaria who is not to be f*cked with.

- The cars can be modified, but even an ICBM would be forced to comply with the regulation script.

- Gasoline is remarkably cheap (free) on Second Life, which is probably consistent with how things would be in a world where everyone can fly like gulls.

- Upcoming features to SL stock car racing will include Fuel Consumption and Tire Wear. Cars have to be moved by a car hauler, even on SL.

- 6 or 7000 Ls will get you sponsorship of a car for a half season. The SL Enquirer logo would look good on a NASCAR, with maybe a big Lanai picture on the door. A mere 6000 Ls...that'll get you the quarter panels, the hood... the whole damned thing.

- If a car hits you, you just sort of get bumped off to the side a bit. Stories exist of wayward spectators being thrown 150 yards by a collision. You survive it unscathed.

- Max speed = 185 mph or so.

- While things are rarely as easy as they look, stock car racing looks to be the most SL-friendly game insofar as actually playing is concerned.

- Races are held every Saturday and Sunday. New drivers are welcome, and- as is the case in every sport I've visited here- people are encouraged to stop in and watch.

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